Various types of roll sheet stock are used in industry. These rolls must be transported from the manufacturer to a converter, distributor, seller, or ultimate user. In such shipment, the ends of the rolls are subject to damage resulting in rolls which are unsalable and which may be unsuitable for their intended uses.
It is known to apply protective caps to the ends of rolled sheet stock to prevent damage. For the most part, such protective end caps are applied by hand using procedures which are time consuming and costly. While semi-automatic equipment has been proposed, because of complexity or because of an inability to accommodate rolls of different sizes and lengths, such apparatus has not been accepted in the trade. It is, therefore, a principal aim of the present invention to obviate the shortcomings of existing apparatus and methods and to provide a simple yet highly versatile apparatus for applying protective end caps to rolls of sheet stock.